Chapter 30: National Day

Various in-class quizzes and weekly tests—whenever there was an exam, Wu Tong would score full marks in every subject except for Chinese, where she might lose a few points. This kind of consistent performance had long since left the senior year teachers and students both amazed and accustomed to it.

Wu Tong still maintained her routine of reviewing and tutoring Jin Xin every lunchtime. Feeling sorry for Wu Tong always running around with Jin Xin, Xu Meifeng simply found a friend and rented a one-bedroom apartment across from No. 1 High School so the two children could rest at midday. The apartments near No. 1 High School were never short of tenants.

From the classroom, it took only five or six minutes to exit the school, cross the street, and go upstairs to the apartment—saving about ten minutes compared to going home. This way, the time saved on the road could be turned into an extra half-hour nap for the two children.

The bedroom was reserved for Wu Tong, while Jin Xin made do with the living room, where a large enough sofa had been arranged for him to rest.

Lunch was carefully prepared by the two elders at home, who estimated the end of the school day and delivered it so the children could eat as soon as they arrived. Xu Meifeng insisted that Jin Yu and his wife need not worry about anything else. In her words, since Tongtong was so dedicated to tutoring her brother, there was nothing else she could do but handle logistics—she would do her utmost!

The week-long National Day holiday meant nothing to senior year students—No. 1 High School in Xincheng only granted three days off to the seniors.

In Class One, each subject teacher had the class representative hand out two test papers per subject. Luo Zhenping stood at the podium, saying he had already assigned less homework and that the students must be diligent and review at home, never letting up. He also reiterated all sorts of safety precautions—an old refrain by now.

The students looked bewildered: twelve test papers for six subjects over three days, four papers a day plus other revision tasks. This was more like having classes during the holiday!

“Then how about we don’t have a holiday at all?” retorted Teacher Luo.

“No, no, no…” All the students shook their heads vigorously. Even a single hour off was precious—a holiday, however brief, must not be wasted.

Luo Zhenping pointed around the room. “Look at Wu Tong—almost perfect scores, top in her year. Has she ever complained? It’s only you lot who grumble. Except for Wu Tong, you’re the worst class I’ve ever taught!”

“Yes, yes…” They admitted their shortcomings, but honestly—Old Luo, could you really compare mortals to deities? How could they measure up?

For them, each test paper took at least an hour, and even after racking their brains, there were still inevitable mistakes or questions they couldn’t solve at all. But the academic goddess could finish a paper in twenty minutes, never stumped by a single question—her answers always perfect.

What was most crucial was that, in the half-month since school started, the academic goddess did nothing in class but study. While others gossiped or stole moments of leisure, Wu Tong was always either reading incomprehensible college-level textbooks or working through problems and deriving formulas—always studying. But it wasn’t just rote learning; both teachers and students could sense her genuine pleasure and satisfaction in understanding and mastering knowledge. The interests of an academic goddess were simply on a higher plane—something they could never hope to reach.

Someone more talented and even more diligent than them deserved to get perfect scores and be ranked number one! Comparing themselves to the arch-demon of academics—was that not self-delusion?

Wu Tong spared a sliver of her attention for the happenings on the podium, her hand moving with divine speed as she worked through the newly distributed papers. She had just finished a math paper when she heard her name. Pausing, she looked up at Luo Zhenping with a hint of puzzlement, as if to ask what he needed.

Luo Zhenping waved her on, telling her to continue with her work. Interrupting her studies felt like a crime. By the time he finished speaking, both math papers would probably be done—this homework was never meant for Wu Tong.

The Jin family had already informed Wu Jingzhong and his wife that Wu Tong would be joining them during the holiday.

Jin Yuan personally drove to the school to pick up both children, though Jin Xin knew full well that his father was really there for his sister—he was just a tagalong.

On the morning of October 1st, the nation celebrated the birthday of the motherland with joy and festivity. Wu Tong deliberately did not assign any study tasks for herself or Jin Xin that day. Jin Yu and his wife also came over, so the entire family could gather in the living room to watch the stirring military parade on television. This year marked the sixtieth anniversary of the nation’s founding, and the parade was more magnificent than ever.

Sixty years—a full cycle. Every year of the new China had brought joyful change and new sights.

The thunderous salvos echoed above Tiananmen Square, stirring the hearts of all present—leaders, representatives, and millions at their screens alike.

“The thunderous salute resounds over the 9.6 million square kilometers of our land, beating in time with the hearts of every Chinese son and daughter… As the armed forces of the Republic march across the peaceful square, we can tell the people of the world and all Chinese everywhere of our dignity, confidence, and strength…”

Word by word, the resounding declaration left the family solemn and upright before the television.

After two hours of watching the parade, everyone was still brimming with excitement and emotion. After a long moment, Jin Xin suddenly said with great seriousness, “I want to apply to a military academy!”

“Good!” came the men’s voices—what young man hasn’t dreamed of wearing the sword and conquering the frontier? The father and son of the Jin family, along with Wu Jingzhong, all gave their enthusiastic approval.

The women of the Jin family and Jin Yu were not surprised either. Watching the parade, especially the valiant women’s formations, they too were filled with pride and excitement.

In their generation, joining the army was the highest honor—something that made families and villages proud. They had missed their chance back then, and had always envied those new recruits in green uniforms, red flowers pinned to their chests, being sent off to serve.

Still, compared to the men’s passion, the women were more careful. “Are you sure this won’t change? What made you decide this?”

“I’ve thought about it before—I just never dared to say it. Now I have the courage!” Jin Xin clenched his fist. The improvement in his grades and the inspiration of the parade had finally given him the confidence to voice this long-buried dream.

He was more confident than ever.

In twenty days, Wu Tong had helped him review all high school mathematics, opening his mind and steadily securing his math score above 140, even making a push for full marks. Over the next two days of the holiday, Tongtong planned to help him consolidate this progress and then let him manage math on his own, moving on to the next subject.

With such progress and at this pace, getting into Peking University was no longer an unattainable dream. Jin Xin had never expressed any special ambitions before—if Tongtong told him to try for Peking University, he’d work harder for it, and if he couldn’t, maybe he’d get into another top university in the capital.

But this military parade had awakened an old childhood dream—he wanted to become a soldier of the People’s Liberation Army. He wanted to apply to a military academy!